SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar: Biodiversity & Ntrl. Resource

I truly had one of the best experiences in my life in Madagascar. The program was set up so well and the instructors and directors organized everything perfectly. It was a great mix of classroom lectures and assignments and field excursions. I was able to build contacts through this program and return to Madagascar in the summer to do more research. I highly recommend!

In Madagascar, I learned how to express myself in three languages, listen closely, and be open to cultural practices different from my own. The program enabled me to engage directly with the subject matter (Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management) instead of speaking abstractly, build positive relationships, and open myself to new worldviews. Most importantly, the program staff are exceptional! Anecdote: Supported by the nonprofit Planet Madagascar, in spring '24 I camped for two weeks between the rural village of Maevetanimbary and a research encampment in Ankarafantsika National Park, a national park in the northwest. To better understand the impact of fire on forested zones, I compared physical characteristics and species diversity between burned and unburned zones. I wrote a project report and presented my work to the national park’s directors in French. To study natural resource management and the ecotourism economy as a study abroad student and a foreigner is an incredibly complex task. My interactions with local scientists, store owners, and governmental workers; coursework on the Malagasy language and the incredible local biodiversity; and relationships with host families built my ability to engage in a good way in a place far from my home. As such, I am proud of the research I conducted in Anakarafantsika and grateful to have had access to such powerful experiential learning.

This program is great! The program directors and all the staff are incredible, very kind, helpful, and communicative. I learned a lot, both in and out of the classroom. The internship/ISP portion was also very valuable and fun. I highly recommend this program, it was amazing.